Interpreting gender

Representatives of the constructionist approach took for granted that sex is a stable, biological, materially given category upon which gender as a matter of culture and character is constructed.

“In other words, the representatives of the constructionist approach took for granted the idea that sex is a stable, biological, i.e., materially given, category upon which gender as a matter of culture and character is constructed.”

These readings produced ahistorical and universalizing accounts of gender, possible due to widespread acceptance of 'biological foundationalism'-an understanding according to which gender is a matter of cultural specificity while sex is treated as a cross-cultural and cross-historical commonality.

“Secondly, it produced ahistorical and universalizing accounts of gender (Scott, 1986) that were possible due to the widespread acceptance of ' biological foundationalism ' -an understanding according to which gender is a matter of cultural speci fi city, while sex is treated as a cross-cultural and cross-historical commonality (Nicholson, 1994).”

In order to develop gender as an analytical category, Scott, influenced by Foucault's genealogy of power and psychoanalysis, endorsed the refusal of the fixed and permanent quality of binary opposition and demanded a genuine historization and deconstruction of the terms of sexual difference in line with the criticism of Riley (1988) and Nicholson (1994).

“In order to develop gender as an analytical category, Scott, in fl uenced by Foucault ' s genealogy of power and psychoanalysis, endorsed the refusal of the fi xed and permanent quality of binary opposition and demanded a genuine historization and deconstruction of the terms of sexual difference in line with the criticism of Riley (1988) and Nicholson (1994).”